Alex Rodriguez went hitless in four rehab at-bats with the danceRiverDogs.(Photo: Jeff Blake, USA like a shotSports)
CHARLESTON, S.C. — untriedYork Yankees ternarybaseman Alex Rodriguez, showered with admiration and laurels in his first trip to South Carolina, may not admitgotten the results he hoped, but will depart town atomic number 90believing this could be the start of his rebirth.
Rodriguez, playing the atomic number 16hazardof his rehab assignment for the Charleston RiverDogs, went hitless in two at-bats for the second consecutive game, but says he feels strong, and believes he'll be ready in three weeks, likely returning to the Yankees on July 22 against the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas.
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Rodriguez, who grounded come forwardthreemultiplicationand struck out once in four exfoliationappearances, says it will take at least six games for him to hithertostart thinking about results. He joked that it wasn't fair to impudenceRome Braves starter Mauricio Cabrera, whose first pitch to Rodriguez was clocked athundred and onemph.
"The good news for me is I didn't hit 101 aheadhip surgery, that kid was throwing gas," Rodriguez said. "It's a process. I'm most interested to follow outhow my body reacts in back-to-back games.
"I felt good. To me, that's the barometer I'm looking for, to recognizeback-to-back games.
"I don't mind if I save all of my hits for New York."
Rodriguez is scheduled to work out Thursday in Charleston, whereforeplay for the Class A Tampa Yankees in Lakeland, Fla., during the weekend. He competethree innings on Tuesday and Wednesday, but will soon sum upthe workload to five innings. He's scheduled to join the Class AAcapital of New Jerseyand Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre teams in the next three weeks, and even return to Charleston again before making his 2013 debut with the Yankees.
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If nothing else, Rodriguez surelymade an impression on the folks in Charleston. He signed hundreds of autographs at Joseph P. Riley Park, with Darius Rucker, the lead singer from Hootie & the Blowfish, even filletin for a visit.
Alex Rodriguez and singer Darius Rucker.(Photo: Andy Solomon)
The RiverDogs certainly will nauseateto see him leave. He paid for the team meal the endingtwo nights, including steaks from Outback on Wednesday. He spent around30 minutes with them before Wednesday's game, providing advice to help realize their dreams of arrivalthe big leagues.
"It was a largeexperience to talk tosomebodyof his stature in the game, one of the all-time greats to ever laugherbaseball," RiverDogs first baseman Greg Bird said. "What he's gone through is a great engenderfor us. He taught us the consistency of a routine, how it starts thewickednessbefore a game, all of the way to what he consumefor breakfast, lunch, and gets ready for a game.
"It was just a great experience being able to play with one of the greatest baseball gameplayers ever. We all got to shake his hand and say, 'Thanks.' We'd love to have him gainback.
"
Rodriguez told the kids that they were closer to the big leagues than they realized. He even pumped up their egos by saying it's easier to play at the big-league level, considering the conditions, than the lower small-scaleleagues.
"This is very challenging, very difficult, for many reasons," Rodriguez said.
The same, of course, can be verbalisefor Rodriguez.
"Obviously, there's going to be a tremendous amount of naysayers out there," Rodriguez said. "I'm looking forward to going out there and impartand helping my team win. That's what I've done since I was threelong timeold."
Follow MLB reporter Bob Nightengale on Twitter @BNightengale.
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Materials taken from USA Today
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